The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District IV has named Michael C. Frick, associate vice president for development at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the recipient of its 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award.

The 27th-annual award recognizes those who make a significant commitment to the advancement profession.

"Awards such as these are a testament to collaboration," said Frick. "I very much appreciate my colleagues in the MD Anderson Development Office and at CASE District IV for their hard efforts and the success we've enjoyed together."

This year's award committee recognized Frick's ability to motivate others in developing and implementing highly successful planned giving, annual fund and other institutional philanthropic programs. He has devoted almost four decades to CASE institutions in Texas, including the University of St. Thomas in Houston, St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Schreiner University in Kerrville and, for the past 20 years, MD Anderson. Frick, a University of Notre Dame graduate, held positions at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Ill., and at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn., before settling in Texas.

Honored in 2000 as the Association for Fundraising Professionals-Houston Chapter Fund Raising Executive of the Year, Frick has participated in and managed programs that have raised more than $2 billion. He has personally raised more than $600 million over the course of his career.

At MD Anderson, Frick has worked with field officers and executive leadership of the Development Office to plan, implement and manage a nationally recognized program focused on philanthropic support for the institution's mission of eradicating cancer. In 2007, he helped secure the largest single gift in the institution's history at the time, $50 million from energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens.

"Mike came to MD Anderson more than 20 years ago and has played an integral part in the creation of our business plan and its implementation," said Patrick B. Mulvey, vice president for development at MD Anderson. "The success of our program over the years is due in large part to Mike's fundraising expertise and effectiveness with our donors, prospects and institutional stakeholders."

A frequent presenter at national and district CASE conferences, Frick has served CASE in a variety of leadership roles. He has been District IV conference track chair, for example, at conferences in Albuquerque, N.M.; Lafayette, La.; and Houston. A past treasurer and chair of the District IV board of directors, he has chaired numerous district committees including the strategic planning committee and the inaugural Distinguished Achievement Award committee, which established the award at the CASE District IV 1984 annual conference.